William kennish



Patented May 16, 1882.

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, form sockets for the limbs.

independent action.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KENNISH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MECHANICAL TOY ANIMAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,952, dated May. 16, 18182.

Application filed March 3, 1882.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM KENNIsH, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanical Toys, of which the following is a full and exact description, reference being had to the drawings herewith accompanying.

My invention consists of a mechanical animal through whose limbs passes a string that forms a loop at the top, which is passed over a hook or nail in the ceiling or wall of a room,

and upon receiving a seesaw motion at the hands of the operator causes the animal to climb with a life-like movement of the limbs. The string being slackened, the animal will slide back quickly upon the string, to be again raised as before, thus affording continuous amusement and entertainment.

Figure l of the drawings herewith accompanying is a side viewof my invention 5 and Fig. 2, a front view of the same, showing the animal ascending the string. The top ends of the string are here shown to be fastened to a rocking bar, 8, which is hung by a string at the center to a hook, as shown; but the string may, as stated, form a loop at the top and pass over the hook, nail, 850., without the intervention of the bar, if desired. In Fig. 1 the ends of the nearer limbs G and H, which are upon the ascending side of the string, are drawn in section to show the passage of the string, the holes through the ends of the farther limbs upon the descending leg of the string being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 shows the animal sliding back upon the slackened string to the hands of the operator.

My toy is constructed as follows:

A is the body of the animal, and is stamped or sawed from wood or molded or cast from metal or other suitable substance. It is composed of a trunk, neck, and head, and has two longitudinal grooves or recesses to receive and These recesses are indicated by the dotted lines B.

O is a pivot passing through the body and forming a joint with both arms, D forming a like joint with the legs, the holes in the limbs through which these pivots pass being large enough to afford each of the limbs free and The passages for the" 7 (No model.)

string through the limbs are made parallel with the long axis of the body when thelimbs are at the lowest point of their motion, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the arm E and legFbeing so depressed. G and H in the same figures show the other arm and leg, which are at the highest mits it to descend by its own gravity. The

reason of the action in rising and falling is that when the string is held tightly and a reciprocating motion given to it the ascending string, by the friction it exerts in the passages, causes one arm and leg to describe an are upon the centers 0 D to the upward limit of their motion, when the further upward movement of the string causes the whole animal to rise. At the same time the downward movement of the string on the opposite side causes the other pair of limbs to descend to the lower limit of their action, and the string in its further downward course passes without interruption through the string-passages, permitting the whole animal to rise in compensation of the upward pull on the other side. The next movement of the string causes the limbs to reverse their positions with a continued upward progress of the animal, and thus the operation is continued until the animal reaches the bar or hook. Thus it will be seen that the first part of the motion of the stringis used in raising'and lowering the animals limbs and the remainder in raising-the whole animal. The

reason of the descent of the animal upon the slackened string is that the body, being free to fall to its lowest point upon the pivots of the arms and legs, draws the limbs together, as shown in Fig. 3, and slides easily down the string, which makes an uninterrupted passage through the holes, those in the legs being slightly rounded to the front to permit of this easy descent.

I'claim-' 1. Ina mechanical toyanimal, four limbs 'IOO with independent action, having terminal passages for string, as shown.

2. In a mechanical toy animal, acontinuous string, forming an upward and downward part, passing through terminal passages in the animals limbs, as shown, and for the purpose specified.

3. In a mechanical toy animal, as described, a rocking bar'for the purpose of giving a reciprocating motion to the string, as described and set forth.

string doubled. to give the reciprocating mo- I 5 tion, as shown and described.

WILLIAM KENNISEI.

Witnesses:

E. L. HALL, H. B. TITUS. 

